The Flu Bug
by jemb
Summary: BB fluff when Booth gets sick......Updated, Brennan suffers the consequences of helping Booth through the Flu
1. Chapter 1

THE FLU BUG

Brennan glances across the lab at Booth. She knows him well enough now to tell when something is up and right now, something is up. He seems distracted, paler than normal and he's been unusually quiet.

"Booth." She states. He looks over at her and the skeleton she's working on.

"Did you say something?" he asks.

"I was about to tell you who our victim might be." She says. "Are you feeling alright?" she asks.

"I'm fine." Booth says.

"You don't look fine."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now our victim." Brennan moves around the table as Booth walks over to her. She glances at him again and stops what she's doing. "Booth, go home." She says.

"What?" Booth is confused.

"You're sick. I don't want sick people in the lab."

"I'm not sick." Booth replies. Brennan walks right up to him and stares into his eyes.

"Glassy eyes, dilated pupils." She pulls the gloves off her hands and places one on Booth's forehead. "Fever." She then takes both her hands and places them on his face, feeling his jaw line and neck. "Swollen glands too. You, Agent Booth, are sick." If Booth weren't feeling so rotten he might have enjoyed having Brennan touch him but he knows she's right. He's been feeling off for a few days.

"Go home." Brennan states.

"I can't. The case." Booth gestures at the skeleton.

"I'll keep working on this. I can come by later with the results." She tells him. "I'm sure after a good night of rest you'll be fine." She smiles. "Go." She points to the door. Booth sighs in resignation and heads down the steps. He glances back at Brennan as he reaches the door and is surprised to see she is still watching him.

Brennan finishes her analysis of the skeleton around six thirty. She has established it is a male, aged between seventeen and thirty, approximately 6 foot two and he died from a gun shot to the back of the skull. Several other broken bones in his hands and ribs suggest there was a preceding fight. She copies the file and picks up her jacket from her office. _Booth will be anxious to know the results_ she thinks. She hurries out the lab and to her car, noting this is the earliest she's left the lab in several weeks.

On the drive over to Booth's, Brennan contemplates whether to pick up some medicine for him. _He doesn't seem like the type to be prepared_. _He probably doesn't get sick often._ Her decision made, Brennan stops at the 24 Hour pharmacy and collects some painkillers and flu remedies. Next to the pharmacy is a little café. _He probably hasn't eaten either. I should get him something. I doubt he feels like cooking_. Brennan heads inside the café and picks up a couple of portions of soup. It's only as she's pulling up to Booth's house that she realises how strangely maternal she has become.

Brennan rings Booth's doorbell, balancing the box with the soup and medicine on her hip and the case file and her bag in the other. A minute later Booth answers the door and Brennan feels a lurch in her stomach when she sees him. He looks really ill.

"Booth." She gasps.

"Hey." He croaks. He has changed into black sweats and a black wife-beater vest, the dark colours enhancing his pale complexion and making him seem almost dead like.

"I take it you aren't feeling any better." Brennan makes her way inside, following Booth. Booth shakes his head and practically collapses on the couch.

"How's the case?" he asks weakly.

"I brought the file but you're not really in a fit state to look it over now." She says. "Are you hungry?" she asks as she walks into the kitchen.

"Not really." Booth replies.

"You should eat something." Brennan says. "I brought soup." She states. Booth is surprised. _Bones brought me soup?_

"That's nice of you but I really don't feel like food." Booth leans his head back on the couch and closes his eyes. When he opens them a moment later Brennan is standing above him.

"You're sick. You body needs nutrients to fight off the bug. You don't need to have a banquet, just a little soup." She insists. "Its country vegetable." She tells him. "And I have chicken too."

"Fine." Booth sighs and Brennan disappears from view. She reappears moments later with a bowl of soup, a spoon and a cloth. She sits down beside him and offers him the bowl. Booth looks at her, at the soup, then back to Brennan. She pushes the bowl closer to him and Booth reluctantly takes it from her.

Brennan watches as Booth takes a few sips of soup. She grows concerned when she sees his hands shaking. _He's really sick_. She smiles encouragingly as Booth eats half the bowl before passing it back to her.

"That's good." She says. "Now go to bed." She states as she rises from the couch after placing the bowl on the coffee table.

"But the couch is so comfortable." Booth leans to the side and rests his head on the arm.

"Bed." Brennan states. "You'll thank me in the morning." She extends her hands down and Booth grasps them as he pulls himself to his feet. He immediately feels woozy and as he wavers, Brennan slips her arm around his waist, not that she could do much if he passed out anyway. He's a lot heavier than her. Booth wraps his arm around her shoulder and together they walk through to the bedroom.

Booth collapses on the bed and rolls over, his head finding the soft comfort of the pillow. Brennan begins to fuss around him, pulling the blanket up over him and making sure he's comfortable.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asks. Booth shakes his head with his eyes closed. "Okay, well I'll clear up and head home. Call me if you need anything." She says. Booth nods but he's already drifting far into sleep.

_When did I get so maternal?_ Brennan wonders as she cleans up the kitchen and locates Tupperware containers for the left over soup. _What is it about Booth that changes me?_ She thinks as she wipes down all the counters. When she's done she turns her attention to the soup and puts it in the fridge. Whilst in there she throws some out of date food out then moves through to tidy the living room. Her last move is to pull the curtains shut. Before she leaves she decides to check on Booth one last time. When she walks into his room he is tossing and turning, sweating out a bad fever. She crosses to his bed and sits on the edge, placing her palm against his forehead. _He's really burning up_ she worries.

Knowing she can't leave him like this, Brennan takes her jacket off and puts her bag down in the living room. She goes to the kitchen and fills a bowl with cold water. She then raids the hall closet and finds a cloth. Taking both items through to Booth's bedroom, she places the bowl of water on the table by the bed and dampens the cloth in it. After wringing it out she lays it on Booth's forehead. Within seconds the cloth has heated up. She repeats the process and tries to bring his temperature down.

Booth's temperature rages on through the night and well into the morning. When she realises the time, Booth places a call to Booth's boss, Cullen and explains that Booth is sick and will not be in for a couple of days. She can tell by the tone of his voice that he's wondering why she's calling and she knows Booth will probably have to answer some questions when he gets back to work about why Brennan is at his house first thing in the morning calling in sick for him. Next she calls Angela and tells her she won't be in today. Brennan purposely avoids telling Angela why because she knows Angela will make more of this than is there. _I'm simply helping a friend_ Brennan tells herself. Instead, she tells Angela that she and Booth are working the case. Angela seems to buy it, for now.

With business taken care of, Brennan enters Booth's bedroom again. He's partially awake, his eyes barely open.

"Bones?" he asks, sounding confused.

"Yes, it's me." She says. She sits on the edge of the bed and places a glass of water by the bed. She holds two pills in her hand. "Here, take these." She says. She slips her hand behind Booth's neck and lifts his head up. He swallows the pills and sips the water before lying back down and closing his eyes. Brennan brushes her hand through his hair before leaving him to sleep.

By the evening, Brennan is exhausted. She hasn't slept in two days and between looking after Booth and working on the case via computer link with Zach, her mind is exhausted. Sitting on Booth's couch, Brennan flicks on the television and catches up on world news. In the darkened room her eyes begin to drift shut. She adjusts her position so she is almost lying on the couch and she rests her head on a cushion on the arm of the couch. An hour later she is sound asleep, the late news quietly playing in the background.

Booth wakes up and realises for the first time in a few days he doesn't feel completely awful. His head is still thumping and his throat feels scratchy but his fever is gone. He has strange memories of Brennan looking after him. He wonders if it was all in his imagination. It wouldn't be the first time. Feeling sore and achy, he needs to stretch so he crawls out of bed and stands up. Padding through the living room to go to the kitchen for water he realises it wasn't a dream. Brennan is lying asleep on his couch with a folder open in her arms and the TV on a news station, the light illuminating her face. _She was taking care of me_ he smiles.

Booth watches Brennan sleep for a few minutes. She looks so peaceful he doesn't want to wake her. Lifting the file from her hands he grabs the blanket off the back of the couch and drapes it over her. _She took care of me, I'll take care of her_ he smiles to himself. After putting the TV off he goes and gets his water then goes back to bed. He is still very tired and weak and the movement has exhausted him.

When Brennan wakes a few hours later she is confused. Firstly she is on a couch and it takes a moment for her to remember she is not in her own home but at Booth's. She remembers she was watching TV but the TV is now off and the file she had been reading is neatly on the table. As she sits up she realises a blanket is covering her. _Booth_ she sighs. She pulls the blanket off and gets to her feet. Padding through to his room she finds him asleep. He looks a lot better than he did yesterday. His complexion has regained some colour and he no longer has a fever. As she stands with her arms folded and watches him, his eyes open and a smile tugs at his lips.

"Hey." He says quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Brennan unfolds her arms and crosses the room to stand next to the bed.

"Better." He replies.

"Good." She replies as she rubs her temple. The lack of sleep has given her a headache.

"Have you been here since yesterday?" Booth asks as he sits up a little.

"You were really sick." Brennan states. "I didn't think you should be alone." Booth gestures for her to come closer so Brennan steps over and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you, for looking after me." Booth says, focusing on her eyes.

"It was nothing." Brennan says as she sniffs.

"Bones, are you sniffing?" Booth asks.

"No." she replies.

"You know, my flu started with a headache and a sniff." Booth smiles. "Maybe you caught my flu bug." He grins.

"I have not caught your cold." Brennan rises and heads for the door. "Since you're feeling better I should go." She says. "I left the case file on the table for you to look at. I'll be at the lab if you need me."

Later that afternoon after Booth has showered, he flicks through the file and picks up his phone, calling the lab to talk to Brennan. Angela answers her phone.

"Hey Booth." She greets him cheerfully.

"Where's Bones?" he asks.

"I sent her home. She's sick." Angela tells him.

"She is." Booth grins.

"Yeah, I heard there was something going around. She might be out for a few days." Angela explains.

"Really. I should probably stop by to ask her these questions then." Booth grins. Angela then remembers something that makes her curious.

"Booth, you were sick a few days ago weren't you?" she asks. She had seen Brennan order Booth home then she didn't appear at work the next day, giving her some story about her and Booth working out of the lab on the case.

"Why'd you ask?" Booth asks Angela.

"Brennan caught her cold from someone." Angela suggests.

"I'll see you later Angela." Booth doesn't give her an answer.

"Bye Booth. Oh and tell Brennan I said hi."

Booth rings Brennan's doorbell an hour later. She answers with a tissue in one hand, her eyes red rimmed and her face pale.

"I brought soup." Booth grins and holds up a Tupperware container of the soup Brennan brought over for him. Brennan stands aside and lets Booth in. "So you didn't catch my flu bug huh?" he grins as she closes the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Okay so I wrote this story months ago and never took it past the first chapter. I got some inspiration and decided to continue it. When you get to the end you'll see I've left it open for another chapter but I'm not sure what this will be yet. I hope you like what I've done with this chapter._**

"I didn't catch your cold." Brennan states. She stares at Booth and the stupid grin on his face for a moment then steps back from the door to let him in. He steps inside tentatively at first, knowing full well he's entering her inner sanctum, somewhere not a lot of people have been. Brennan shuts the door after him and pulls the chain over. A small smile tugs at Booth's lips when he realises she listened to what he told her some time ago about locking her doors.

"I don't know Bones." Booth shakes his head as he walks to the kitchen. "You've got the pale complexion, glassy eyes…" he trails off as he puts the soup in the fridge.

"I don't get sick Booth." Brennan sighs as she pads back to the couch, dropping into the seat. Booth laughs and walks over, hovering by the couch.

"So what do you call this?" he asks as he looks down at her, waving his hand to gesture to her current state.

"I'm just a little…" she stops. "Booth, why are you here?" she suddenly asks. Booth walks over to the CD player and Brennan's CD collection and starts looking through it.

"Angela told me you came home sick. I felt a little guilty since you caught it from me." Booth keeps his back turned to her. He fidgets with the CD's then turn back to her.

"So, you need anything else?" Booth asks as he walks back over to the couch.

"No." Brennan states.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll be going then." Booth hovers, not sure whether to just leave.

"Fine." Brennan is focused on the screen of the laptop sitting on the coffee table.

"Right, uh, I'll see you later then." Booth backs to the door. As he gets to the door Brennan suddenly leans around and calls to him.

"Yeah?" Booth asks.

"Thanks for the soup." She smiles. Booth grins back and pulls open the door.

Brennan rolls over in bed, her palm pressed to her throbbing head. _Why do I always get migraines when I get sick?_ She wonders. Groaning she picks up the phone that won't stop ringing.

"Hello." She croaks.

"Hey Bones, it's just me." Booth sounds cheerful.

"What do you want Booth?" she groans.

"I just called to see how you were." He says.

"No, you called to say 'I told you so'." Brennan replies.

"Are you admitting you're sick?" Booth asks, smiling to himself.

"I'll admit that right now I'm not feeling…" Brennan doesn't finish her sentence. A sudden wave of nausea caused by the intense headache sweeps over her and she drops the phone to run to the bathroom.

After retching into the toilet for a minute, Brennan slumps against the cold ceramic, sweating and shaking, not caring that Booth was and possibly still is on the phone. Finally gathering enough energy to get off the bathroom floor, Brennan staggers into the hall. But she only takes a few steps when she leans her back against the wall and slides down, her knees coming up to her chest. Leaning forward she rests her pounding head on top of her knees and closes her eyes.

Brennan is still sitting in the hall, somewhere between awake and asleep when there is a loud knock at her door. She knows exactly who it is and while part of her is glad he's come because she is sick, another part of her knows just how awful she must look and she doesn't really want him to see her like this.

"Bones?" he calls through the door. "Bones?" he repeats his call. When she doesn't reply Booth gets worried.

"Bones, I'm coming in okay?" Booth hopes Brennan didn't get up and put the chain over the door after he left the previous night. Relief washes over him as the door swings open. Stepping inside, Booth takes a look around then stops in his tracks. Sitting on the ground, curled up in a ball is Brennan.

"Bones!" he gasps as he runs to her side. She lifts her head a little as he reaches her side.

"Booth." She whispers as she lifts her head.

"Hey, it's okay." He pulls her hair back from her face.

"What are you doing here?" she whispers.

"You left me hanging Bones, I was worried." Booth smiles. "With good reason."

"I'll be okay." She replies.

"I'm sure you will." He strokes her hair. "But how about you let me help you, you know, return the favour." He suggests with a smile.

"Booth." Brennan sighs.

"Bones, you're sick. Please, just let me help." He pleads. Sometimes Brennan can be too stubborn for her own good.

"Fine." She agrees weakly.

"Okay, lets get you up and back to bed." Booth takes her arm to help her up but Brennan doesn't seem to have the energy to make a move. Realising this, Booth scoops her into his arms and stands up, holding her securely. Booth can tell by Brennan's lack of protesting at what he's doing that she really is very ill. As he steps towards her bedroom, her head rolls into his shoulder and she moans softly, her eyes drifting closed.

A few minutes later Booth has Brennan settled in bed, the sheets pulled up around her and he is sitting on the edge of the bed, his fingers running through her hair gently, brushing it out of her face.

"Booth." Brennan's eyes remain shut as she talks.

"Yeah Bones?" he leans down a little.

"Can you get me some water?"

"Sure." Booth rises quickly. "What about some painkillers or something?" he asks. Brennan nods.

"Cupboard above the microwave." She whispers.

When Booth returns from the kitchen minutes later Brennan is still curled up on the bed. Her eyes are closed and Booth doesn't think he's ever seen her look so vulnerable. Sitting next to her he places the water on the nightstand and strokes her cheek, waking her.

"Bones." He says quietly. Brennan heaves herself up and with a shaky hand she takes the pills from his and swallows them. She then reaches out for the glass of water Booth holds out for her. Clasping it tightly Brennan brings the glass to her lips and sips the cold liquid. After a few sips she is exhausted and hands Booth the glass. She then slumps down and closes her eyes.

"Get some sleep Bones. I'll be down the hall if you need me." Booth says softly. Brennan merely moans in response and rolls her head to the side. Booth reluctantly rises from the bed and steps away from her, pausing in the doorway to watch her for a moment. In all the time he's known Brennan, he's never seen her this weak and it is somewhat unsettling. He wonders if she felt like this when he was sick just days earlier. He knows he was pretty out of it with the fever. Something she'd never really seen before.

Booth is dozing on the couch when he hears a smashing sound. His head snaps up and he turns his head towards the bedroom before getting to his feet and padding down the hall.

"Bones? You okay?" he asks as he enters the room. Brennan is sitting on the bed with her legs hanging off the end. The glass of water that was on the nightstand is lying shattered on the hardwood floor.

"I uh…dropped the glass." Brennan whispers. She seems a little disoriented and Booth realises a fever has gripped her like it did him.

"It's alright Bones." Booth smiles and walks in. "Watch you're feet." He adds as he sees her bare feet dangling dangerously close to the broken glass. She draws her legs up and rests her feet on the edge of the mattress. She watches Booth as he carefully picks up the large pieces of glass.

"Don't move, there's still broken glass on the floor." Booth instructs. "I'll be right back." He rises from his crouched position and hurries to the kitchen with the broken glass.

Twenty minutes later the floor is dry, the glass disposed of and a fresh plastic cup with ice cold water is on the nightstand. Booth is sitting on the edge of the bed, his palm pressed to Brennan's burning forehead.

"You've got a bad fever Bones." He says softly. Her body is shaking and she seems to be drifting in and out. "I'm going to call a doctor."

"I am a doctor." Brennan mumbles, making Booth grin.

"Yes you are Bones, but I'm talking about a medical doctor." He laughs.

"No." Brennan insists.

"Okay, but if you're not better in the morning I'm calling one." He tells her firmly. Brennan nods her head and relaxes into the comfort of the bed as Booth rises to his feet.

"Get some rest." He whispers from the door.

Booth is on his cell when Brennan's home phone rings. He quickly ends his call and picks up.

"Uh Temperance Brennan's place." He answers awkwardly.

"Booth?" Angela's unmistakable voice is on the other end.

"Angela?"

"Yeah, what are you doing at Brennan's?"

"I stopped by to ask Brennan some a few things and she's really sick, fever and everything." He explains.

"I knew she wasn't well but Brennan never gets really sick, is she okay?"

"I'm not sure, she's sleeping right now." Booth continues. "I was going to call out a doctor but she doesn't want me to."

"Of course she doesn't." Angela sighs.

"Don't worry, if she's not better soon…" Booth pauses to choose his words carefully. He doesn't want Angela to know he's planning on staying here with Brennan until she's better like she did for him. "_We_ can call someone" he uses 'we' so Angela so she doesn't realise he plans on being the one to make the call.

"Okay, just tell her I called and I hope she feels better soon. I'll maybe stop by after work." Angela adds. She smiles to herself knowing that if she does she's likely to find Booth still there taking care of the woman he won't admit he loves.

"I will." Booth adds before hanging up the phone. He goes back to his work, mentally reminding himself to check on Brennan soon.

Brennan tosses and turns in her bed, throwing the sheets off her body then pulling them back on as she suffers from fever and chills. Her whole body aches and she just wants it all to stop. As she rolls over to get more comfortable her stomach cramps up and a wave of nausea floods over her.

As Booth flicks through the channels on the TV having become bored with reading the file he had with him, he hears a thud then the pattering of feet and a door slamming closed. When he walks down the hall to find out what Brennan is doing he hears the distinct sound of her throwing up in the bathroom. He waits for her to stop before knocking on the door.

Drained of her burst of energy Brennan slumps against the toilet seat and closes her eyes. _When will this end?_ She wonders. _I can't take much more_. A knock at the door brings her round a little.

"Bones?" she hears Booth on the other side of the door and he sounds worried. Brennan can't reply so she just sits limply and waits for Booth to open the door himself. He only takes about ten seconds to do so.

"Forget the doctor, maybe I should take you to the hospital." Booth says. "You're really ill Bones."

"No." Brennan sighs. "I just need to sleep it off." She tells him.

"I don't know Bones, you're pretty sick." Booth tells her as he crouches at her side and runs his fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face.

"Please Booth, I just want to go to sleep." Brennan lifts her head to look into his eyes.

"Okay, but if you're still this ill in a few hours I'm taking you to hospital." Booth insists. "Come on." He pulls Brennan to her feet and slips his arm around her waist. Walking her slowly across the hall into her room, Booth sets Brennan down on the bed. She lies down and rests her head on the pillow.

"Angela called." He tells her. "She's worried too. Apparently you never do get sick." he smiles. A small smile crosses Brennan's face but her eyes remain closed. "She said she might stop by after work." He adds. Brennan merely mumbles something and nestles into the pillow. Booth thinks she's fallen asleep but as he rises to leave Brennan grasps for his hand.

"Stay." She whispers. Booth isn't sure why she wants him to stay but he isn't about to say no so he nods and turns himself so he can lie on the bed beside her. He sits upright with his back against the headboard, stretching his legs out in front of him. His arm slips around Brennan and pulls her close to him, his fingers rubbing circles on her shoulder. Her head rests on his chest and for the first time since he arrived she seems peaceful. In the darkened room Booth soon finds his eyes drifting closed and that's just how Angela finds them when she arrives at seven to check on her friend.

Standing in the doorway of Brennan's bedroom Angela has a goofy grin slapped on her face. But a sudden movement on her part stirs one half of the sleeping couple and Booth opens his eyes to see Angela grinning at him.

"Angela, hi." He tries to disentangle himself from Brennan without disturbing her and appearing too guilty.

"How is she?" Angela asks, the grin still on her face.

"I think she'll be fine, she finally got some sleep." He explains as he gets off the bed.

"I think I know why." Angela mutters to herself.

"What?" Booth asks, not hearing what she just said.

"Nothing." Angela sings. "Anyway, I just stopped in to make sure she's okay but since you're taking such good care of her I'll just go." Angela walks down the hall with Booth following her.

"I'm not really, I mean I just thought since she was so ill that someone should…" he babbles, trying to explain his presence.

"Booth sweetie, you don't have to explain anything to me." Angela grins. "I know you're just returning the favour since she looked after you when you were sick." Angela lets him know that she knows.

"How did you?" Booth looks confused.

"Brennan is not a very good liar and she had to catch the flue from someone." Angela winks and heads for the door. "Goodnight Booth." She calls as she leaves.


End file.
